"Would you shut that horrible music!"
"She's my inspiration!"
"If you don't shut that screeching noise coming out of your speakers at once, I'll introduce them to my shredder!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Try. Me!"
Silence.
Clarisse smiled to herself. How could her roommate call that music was beyond her. And, even if the two of them had the same taste in music, did she had to do it when she had finals? It was only her first year, but she had to excel her subjects or she'd not be able to reach the best for the scholarship. And doing so while you have dyslexia and an annoying roommate with a overboard taste edging the stalker of Tay-Tay, as she called her, was not helpful.
She was fairly advance in her chapter when her phone rang. She didn't even realize that it was almost dinner time. There was only two or three numbers on that phone, as it was for emergencies, only one punk would be calling her at that hour.
"What?"
"And, hello to you too, sweet cheeks!" Clarisse groaned only for dramatic effects, but even at that distance, she couldn't hide that she was happy to hear him. And he knew her pretty well "Don't pretend, you know you miss me..."
"Don't flatter yourself, punk..." she argued. She couldn't help it, it was on her nature to disagree with him.
"Awwh, you wound me, babe..."
"What did we talk about the nicknames, Rodriguez?"
"Well, you said, and I completely ignored you, that I can't use them..." he especified, not even hiding the fact that he wasn't suppose to call her names.
"Then, why you ignore me?"
"Because I know you miss our quarrels... Who would you argue with if I'm not there..?" It was obvious it was rhetorical, but Clarisse felt the need to reply with a smirk.
"Well, I forced my roommate to shut her music-"
"Tay-Tay? Oh, no! The horror!" Clarisse laughed at the dramatization he was pulling over the phone "Seriously, I have to ask Will what the Hell has that girl that is so fabulous... He claims that he's not related to them..."
"My bet? She's a daughter of Nike or something... Anyway, why are you calling, punk?"
"Oh, I was wondering if I could come over next weekend-" For the first time since the conversation started, Clarisse looked and sounded defeat.
"Sorry, Chris... I have a biochemist text on Monday, plus several projects to turn in and, unless you plan to come here to be ignored, you shouldn't come..."
"Really? I planned a nice picnic and all! I know you hate that stuff, but it's a nice distraction..."
"I know, Chris..." Clarisse wasn't stupid, she knew Chris very well and she knew he was disappointed as well "Look, can we talk after dinner? I gotta go..."
"Yeah, OK... I love you..."
"I know, punk..." Clarisse hung up the call, feeling the worst in a long time.
What she ignored was that Chris' mind engines were moving at the speed of light, pulling a plan in action.
Saturday morning came faster than Clarisse would have wanted, but she rolled off bed and started her morning routine. Of course, she was always the first one up, as her roommate always spent Friday night partying. Half the people in the university did that, which means that the smart ones were up early. Which was a synonym of silence and revision classes.
Clarisse walked up to the biochemist revision class. It had been a little challenging for her, to ask for help, but she had managed to do so without threatening anyone. Which was a big improvement for her, as Chris would say. She stayed there for two hours, as she couldn't stand the silence and no one talking to her, somehow. She returned to see a weird vision.
Her roommate was waiting for her.
"Alright, who is he? And why is he asking about you and not me!"
"What in Hell are you talking about, woman?!"
"The cute guy that came by our room when you weren't and was disappointed when he didn't see you here!" she complained, loudly. Clarisse frowned. Who in their right minds would come looking for her...? The answer was obvious, but what was he doing here?
"How long ago?"
"Why would I-" Her words were cut when Clarisse grabbed her by the arm, rather forcefully.
"How. Long. Ago?"
"Thirty minutes, I don't know!" she cried, making Clarisse release her. She then noticed something on top of her bed that was obviously been opened before. She grabbed it and read it herself.
'Let's play a game! Finding the first clue would be a treat, just go where you get something to eat!'
"Damn you, Rodriguez..." Clarisse chuckled, before leaving the room, forgetting about her annoying roommate. She walked straight into the cafeteria, because where else would she get something to eat. Unless he means the kitchen, but she doubt it. As soon as she walked through the doors, she saw a familiar face waiting for her "Miranda?"
"I owed him a favor, don't flatter yourself" Miranda replied. Though with the smile that she was showing, meant that she was on board with whatever twisted plan that Chris had made "Here, you'll need this to find him..." she gave her a fortune cookie. Fronwing, Clarisse broke it in half to find another piece of paper with another clue.
'Congrats! You found Miranda! Now that you're fed, go and look for the place where you lay your head!'
Clarisse sprinted down the hallways, moving our of her way several people, who thought she was being rude. She didn't care at all. She reached her room, that she had left not even ten minutes prior, only to find someone sleeping on her bed. And that someone was snoring away.
"Clovis? Clovis, wake up!" she screamed at him, not even moving him an inch. Sighing, she gathered a glass of water and, risking to wet her bed, she dumped it on Clovis, who indeed, woke up.
"Red velvet!" Clovis mumbled, making Clarisse roll her eyes "Oh, hey, Clarisse..."
"Out of the bed and give me the damn clue..." Clovis smiled sleepily, which was his regular smile and handed her her own pillow "I said clue, not pillow..."
"This is the clue! Now, if you don't mind..." After those words, Clovis fell asleep on the bed, snoring away. Again, Clarisse rolled her eyes, but searched around the pillow, until she found something under the pillow case.
'I bet Clovis was asleep, uh? Next place you need to look is where you can keep a book'
Knowing that there was no chance that Clovis woke up for a second time now, Clarisse left her room and went directly towards the only place where you can have books. The place where the airheads don't even dare to go... The library. Walking inside, , she thought she was gonna see the Owl Head Princess, but in her place was another known owl head.
"Malcolm..." Clarisse greeted him, trying to be civil. Being violent with Malcolm never reached anything, not to mention that he was as good as his sister in combat.
"Clarisse..." Malcolm smirked at her and handed her, wordlessly, a book. Luckily for her dyslexia, it was a greek book. She opened it and passed the pages one by one, until she found the little piece of paper she craved.
'Found Malcolm, I pressume... Loo for the clues, but don't get stress, the next one is were you clean and dress!'
That was a hard one, but there was only one place in the entire campus where you could clean your clothes. Nodding Malcolm as a thanks, she left for the laundry room, to which she had to ask for directions and she never had visited the place yet. After asking five people, four who didn't know where it was, she arrived only to find the door closed and a fuss going inside.
"Who is in here?!" she called out, twisting the doorknob and walking inside. She was greeted by a very upset girl, who was separating clothes by color, owner and fabric.
"Who in their right mind would mix silk with cotton inside the washing machine?! And placing a red shirt with whites, are you nuts?!"
"Drew Tanaka, I don't care what you do with the clothes, just give me the damn clue!" It was obvious that, as much as Clarisse was enjoying the chase, she wasn't gonna deal with Drew's OCD in clothes. Drew groaned and pointed at one wrapped package that was on top of a drying machine. Clarisse ripped it open and founds a nice red bandanna with an attached paper.
'Is Drew cleaning by now? Don't tear the room apart, you can move to a fort of art!'
Grabbing the bandanna and waving Drew goodbye, Clarisse moved towards the art room, the most messy place she had ever seen in her life. She was surprised that Chris didn't send Drew there, but she then noticed that everyone who appeared had a little relation with the place where they got sent. And, in the art...
"Enjoying the chase so far, Clarisse?" Turning around, Clarisse saw Will Solace coming out from behind a curtain with his signature dazzling smile.
"Thought I would find you in the Infirmary..."
"He didn't have a lot of time to plan..." he excused Chris, before gesturing the art works that were showing "One of them has your clue... Good luck..." Clarisse started to check the different canvases until one of them, which had a famous painting of the lake at CHB made by their resident Oracle was found with a note attached to the back.
'Will could be better for the Infirmary, right? Already wanting to relax? Why don't you go where you work out..?'
Smiling, Clarisse handed the canvas to Will, in hopes that he could return it to the owner, before walking outside and directly to her favorite place in the entire campus. She went there so often that the coached had to hand her a spare key so she could come at wee hours of the night. Pushing the front doors like she owned the place, she smirked at the person who was waiting for her.
"Hello, Sherman..." she walked to him, smirking "I assumed you were here after seeing Miranda..."
"We owed Chris a favor, unfortuantely..." Sherman admitted, smirking back. Before Clarisse moved closer, Sherman pointed at her with a spear "Normally, I'd challenge you to a spar, but I have orders to give you the present without a fight..."
"Present? Another present?" Clarisse was surprised by that, especially when Sherman handed her the spear he was holding "I already have one..."
"Following orders, remember?" Clarisse frowned at her brother, but grabbed the spear. She didn't find any clues attached to it but, in a moment of inspiration, she broke the spear in half to discover that it was hollow and holding the clue inside.
'Sherman better not be making you sweat! The final prize? Go check where this adventure can start'
"Where this adventure can start...?" she wondered out loud, looking at her brother, who shrugged.
"I don't know... Where did you start university..?"
"We had orientation...outside... Thanks, Sherman!" she chuckled and ran away from her brother, who was perplexed in his place. Right when Clarisse left the room, he was joined by his girlfriend and friends.
"You think they'll have a good time?"
"I threaten a couple of people..." Drew confessed, not even embarrassed "They better not mess it up..."
"I just hope that she learns to loose once in a while..." Will added "I'd hate that Chris wakes us up at dawn next weekend just to keep her distracted..."
"Gods above hear you..." Miranda begged.
"So, you liked my chase?" Chris asked Clarisse, after spending the day together.
"It was a nice distraction, punk..." she admitted, nodding "Next time, don't use people..."
"I planned that at 3 in the morning!"
"Not your best plan..."
"What is that suppose to mean?"
Oh, yeah... Clarisse definitely missed their quarrels...
Happy birthday, my lovely AMillionPages ! You're 18 today and I'm proud to see the woman you became today... We'll meet soon! *lots of hugs and kisses*